hammered.”
Marnie laughed again. “No. I have keys to a friend’s place, and he’s away for Labor Day. It’s only about five blocks from here. And, anyway, it’s not exactly on your way back to your Park Avenue penthouse. Wouldn’t want you to be seen slumming it in SoHo.”
That was a slam, especially since he now knew she’d grown up a debutante. “I live on East Sixty-Fourth, thank you very much.”
Marnie grinned. “Close enough.”
There was no way he was letting Marnie walk anywhere alone—not this late and after that much tequila. “Then I’ll walk you.”
“That’s very kind of you, but really not necessary.”
“I just got an entire lecture on gentlemanly behavior from a Southern belle, so I’ll err on the side of caution. I don’t want my heart eaten from my chest.” He offered his arm, and Marnie hesitated for a moment, looking up at him through her lashes before finally taking it.
“Why, thank you, sir. That’s ever so kind of you,” she drawled in a combination of Scarlett O’Hara and Blanche DuBois.
For someone who claimed to be hammered, Marnie was stable enough on her feet, and they walked the first block without incident. She took a deep breath of the night air and looked around. “I just love this area. I might have to look for a place here.”
That caught him by surprise. Marnie didn’t seem like the right fit for this area. Brooklyn seemed better somehow. “You don’t like Brooklyn?
“Oh, I like it there just fine, but I only moved to Park Slope because it was close to my job. Without that...” She shrugged. “I’m not attached to the area, and I’ve always wanted to live around here. Or maybe in the Village. Someplace really vibrant and in the middle of things.”
“Looking for excitement in life?”
She grinned at him. “Always.”
“No desire to go back to Savannah?”
He might have heard a tiny snort from Marnie. “None. I like being from Savannah, but I don’t want to be there. Does that make sense?”
“Sure.” He wasn’t entirely sure it did, but he agreed nonetheless.
They walked quietly for another moment, but it wasn’t an uncomfortable silence. Finally Marnie said, “Thanks for hanging out with me tonight. It was fun.”
“It was, and you’re welcome.”
“I’m kinda sorry I didn’t get a chance to know you better when you and Reese were...well, before. We could’ve been friends.”
There was such a sigh in her voice that he wanted to laugh. Except that she seemed serious. “And we can’t be now?”
“I think it might be awkward and uncomfortable—for everyone.” She looked at her feet for a moment, then back up at him. “But anyway—and regardless of what you said earlier—I am sorry you and Reese didn’t work out.”
And so was he. Theirs hadn’t been a great love match like Marnie sang praises of, but it had been stable. Secure. Solid. “Thanks. We made a great team. But Reese loves Mason.”
“But you said love isn’t a good reason to get married.” He couldn’t see it, but he knew she was rolling her eyes.
“I said it wasn’t the only reason to get married, but it’s especially a bad idea when one of the parties loves someone else. I think I knew all along that something wasn’t quite right, but getting married seemed like the thing to do at the time, and you get to a point of no return pretty quickly. I was almost glad when Mason showed up and finally forced Reese’s hand.” That was true, too. If Reese really needed that kind of relationship to be happy, he wasn’t the man to give it to her.
“So you’re really okay about it?”
“Are you asking me if I’m over Reese?”
“Yeah, I guess I am.”
He nearly laughed. That was something very few people had the nerve to ask to his face. “Reese and I were friends and we’re still friends. But I’m not carrying a torch for her.”
“That is a ridiculously reasonable and mature statement, all things considered.”
He shrugged. “It’s for the best. If you can’t go into a marriage knowing absolutely sure it’s the right choice, then you shouldn’t do it. It won’t end well.”
Marnie laughed, but it was bitter sounding. “I actually agree with you on that.”
“Really?”
She nodded. “I witnessed that in my brother’s marriage. I encouraged them both to go through with it—and by ‘encouraged,’ I really mean ‘browbeat’—and they were very unhappy until the day the divorce was final. It pretty much ruined my relationship with his wife, Missy, who I’d known most of my life and considered a dear friend, and it didn’t help things between me and Carter, either.”
He’d noticed the distance between Carter and Marnie. They’d barely spoken to each other all day, and the ride from the courthouse to the restaurant had been heavy from the tension hanging between them.
She patted his arm. “For both your sakes, I’m glad you figured it out before it was too late.” Shaking her head, she smiled crookedly at him. “One could wish you two had figured that out before people bought non-returnable bridesmaids’ dresses, though.”
“I thought Reese picked dresses you all could wear again.”
Marnie snorted. “That’s a lie all brides tell themselves and their bridesmaids. I’ve been in more weddings than I can count and I’ve never worn a bridesmaid’s dress twice.”
“My apologies. I’ll keep that in mind for next time.”
“Next time? Jumping right back into the saddle, are you?”
“I wouldn’t exactly call it jumping, but I do plan to get married at some point. Don’t you?”
She shrugged one shoulder. “Maybe. One day. A very long time from now, though.”
“Not such a romantic after all, then.”
“Just picky. And not at all in any rush.”
“Me, neither,” he clarified, “but I think I’m getting to a point in my life where I’d like to have that stability.”
“Stability?” Marnie laughed. “That’s so romantic, I just might swoon.”
Her heel caught in a grate and Marnie stumbled. He grabbed her arm to steady her as she regained her balance. “I didn’t know you meant that literally.”
“Don’t sass me, mister.”
Just to be safe, he offered her his arm and tucked her hand in.
Marnie shot him a look
